1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label removing device whereby adhesive labels may be conveniently removed from their substrates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inasmuch as ours is a retail society, the necessity and desirability of price labels on various goods purchased by the public is readily apparent. This point was recently made quite clear when large grocery chains attempted to convert to computer-readable product codes and prices. Due to opposition from the buying public, this project has at least been slowed down and the necessity of price labels on goods is as great as ever. Of course, such price labels normally take the form of small pieces of paper having an adhesive backing thereon whereby the label may be firmly attached to the product. In order to prevent customers from switching price labels within the store, it is necessary that the labels adhere quite firmly to the goods. It is this strong adhesion between the label and the substrate to which it is attached which has created certain problems.
First, if an item is purchased as a gift, it is normal practice to remove the price tag. With adhesive labels this is quite difficult. Second, it may be desirable within the retail operation to remove a label and replace it with another reflecting a different retail price. Here again, it is just as difficult for the retail personnel to remove an adhesive label from its substrate as it is for the purchaser to accomplish this operation. In recognition of this problem various scraping devices have been developed which may be utilized for the purpose of removing or cutting away a price label.
Perhaps the most common type label remover is the one which may generally be described as a handle element into which a razor blade is inserted. While such a device works well for some purpose, it does have significant drawbacks. First, the extremely sharp razor blade has a tendency to break when it is utilized in removing adhesive labels from extremely hard surfaces such as cans or glass items. Second, the sharp edge of the razor blade may damage the substrate from which the label is being removed. Finally, because the razor blade is generally held within the handle portion by a friction fit therein, the blade is subject to movement which may result in damage to the goods as well as damage to the user of the device.
Of course, other scraping devices are well known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,316 to Skarsten discloses a device having a bladed portion for removing wallpaper. U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,497 to Waldesbuehl discloses a spattle spoon specifically designed for scraping the interior of bottles and jars and other items of irregular shape. U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,341 to Eicher discloses a scraping device for use in removing food from the beaters of a mixing machine. Yet another prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,224,793 to Robinson. That patent teaches the construction of a scraping device including a removably attachable scraping head comprising a plurality of blade members placed thereon, one edge of each of said blades being disposed in scraping relation to an exterior item.
However, none of the prior art discloses a device specifically designed and constructed for use in removing adhesive price labels from a variety of substrate forms. It is clear that there is a great need in the art for such a device. In recognition of the fact that adhesive price labels are affixed to various types of items, a preferred label removing device would be suitable for use in removing a label from virtually any kind of substrate. Of course, such a device should be of relatively simple construction and of a size suitable for carrying and manipulation by one hand. It would furthermore be desirable if the scraping element of the device were removably attached to the handle so that they could be replaced when worn out without the necessity of replacing the entire device.